The Top Ten Lexus Stories of 2018


It’s been a year of global ambitions for Lexus, with next-generation ES sedan now being offered across the world and the new UX sub-compact crossover signaling the importance of the European market. 2018 also demonstrated the growing importance of in-car infotainment, how Lexus plans to expand their brand outside of the automotive bubble, and that the IS remains an important vehicle to Lexus no matter how the market feels about sedans.

Every one of these storylines factored into the top ten Lexus articles of 2018 here at Lexus Enthusiast. And it starts with a Lexus that isn’t a car at all.


10. Lexus Announces LY 650 Luxury Yacht

Lexus LY650 Yacht

In September, Lexus announced an addition to the flagship lineup in a most unexpected way — the LY 650 is a 65-foot yacht that stands as the “first production maritime expression of Lexus design language, L-finesse”.


9. Top Gear Battle: Lexus LC 500 vs Honda Civic Type R

Lexus LC vs Civic Type R

A common *Top Gear *shtick is two mismatched cars going head-to-head in a bizarre competition, and that’s what we had in April with the LC 500 going up against the Honda Civic Type R.


8. Next-Generation Lexus IS Sedan to get Twin-Turbo V6 F SPORT?

Lexus GS F

In July, a rumor surfaced that the next-generation Lexus IS sedan would available with the 3.5L twin-turbo V6 engine from the LS flagship. Naturally, this was big news.


7. The Lexus Luxury Minivan

Lexus Minivan

Raymond Rodriguez, president of Lexus Manila, made huge waves in October with his statement that a Lexus luxury minivan is “only a matter of time”.


6. Apple CarPlay Coming to Select Lexus Vehicles This Year

Lexus CarPlay

After years of waiting, some Lexus vehicles finally received Apple CarPlay compatibility in 2018. The automotive iPhone interface was added to the ES, UX, and LS sedans, LC coupes, RC coupes, and NX crossovers built after October 2018.


5. Lexus Announces Updated 2018 CT 200h Hatchback

Lexus CT

It may no longer be available in North America, but that didn’t stop this year’s Lexus CT 200h refresh from being the fifth most popular story of 2018.


4. Rendered: The Next-Generation Lexus IS Sedan

Lexus IS Next-Generation Rendering

Despite a general downturn in sedan sales, the next-generation IS remains one of the most anticipated vehicles in the Lexus lineup. This was proven with the strong response to this rendering from Best Car.


3. Introducing the Lexus UX 200 & UX 250h

Lexus UX Crossover

The all-new Lexus UX subcompact crossover debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March with two new engines: The UX 200 and UX 250h. Here we have all the details.


2. Introducing the Updated 2019 Lexus RC Coupe

Lexus RC Update

When Lexus released details on the updated 2019 RC coupe in August, enthusiasts took notice. This refresh is well-executed and long-overdue, transforming the coupe with key changes to the front-end.


1. The 2019 Lexus ES 350 & ES 300h: A Technical Review

Lexus ES sedan

The most popular article on Lexus Enthusiast should come as no surprise to readers — the next-generation ES was the high-point for the brand in 2018, and this technical review explained the sedan’s significance in extensive detail.


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Comments
Why no RCF track edition announcement in the list? It is one of the biggest steps in Lexus history to bring a track focused sports car.
Faisal Sheikh
Why no RCF track edition announcement in the list? It is one of the biggest steps in Lexus history to bring a track focused sports car.
I organized the stories from the statistics, not from opinion -- the RC F Track Edition came too late in the year to make a traffic impact. I've clarified this somewhat in the article.
And the No.1 sad news RIP GS
Faisal Sheikh
Why no RCF track edition announcement in the list? It is one of the biggest steps in Lexus history to bring a track focused sports car.
Given its official unveiling at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, the RC F Track Edition may well make the 2019 Top 10 list.
I agree that the RC F track edition and LC F should be 2019 Top 10 Lexus Stories...looking forward to it...
maiaramdan
And the No.1 sad news RIP GS
What does RIP GS have anything to do with Krew writing a high quality article and getting good views?
Trexus
I agree that the RC F track edition and LC F should be 2019 Top 10 Lexus Stories...looking forward to it...
Don't expect to see anything F related next year. Trust me on this. Also look on the LC thread on this forum and there's a clue regarding the mechanicals. ;)

ssun30
What does RIP GS have anything to do with Krew writing a high quality article and getting good views?
He's right. He's just mentioning the number 1 depressing article for Lexus Enthusiast is the purported demise of the GS. The death of the GS in Europe (but not confirmed for the rest of the world), is something we should prevent, and they fire back up for the 5GS. I haven't seen @Carmaker1 in a very long time and I was hoping he could disclose some more information. It's almost the end of the year.

F